


Team dynamics

by Beryllium_Astatine



Series: Some Nonsense Eating Love Away [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, F/M, Gen, not a/b/o
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28500657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beryllium_Astatine/pseuds/Beryllium_Astatine
Summary: When there's animosity between team members, it's time for some bonding exercises to mention the harmony in the workplace.Part of a Werewolf AU fic series.
Relationships: Jean Havoc & Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc & Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: Some Nonsense Eating Love Away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087691
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	Team dynamics

**Author's Note:**

> It's a werewolf AU, but not Omegaverse. Thank you @lantur for the beta, and every heathen who encouraged me to keep going with this.

The office clock ticked like a timebomb for Riza that afternoon, like it did every month. She nervously twirled the pen in her fingers as she skimmed through the weekly reports, making the sheets flutter every now and again with a huff. Riza reached for her mug of tea and brought it to her lips; it was empty.

Riza quietly growled. She heard Breda shift in his place, and wished she could spare him some compassion. But during that time of the month, her desk always felt too small, the walls too oppressive. If the Second Lieutenant had a problem with sharing the office with her, well - he should have thought about that before accepting to work under Roy Mustang, or even before befriending Havoc in the Military Academy.

Why would someone afraid of dogs willingly surround himself with _werewolves,_ after all?

The stink seeped inside the room before the door swung open and Havoc walked inside, chuckling and waving to someone somewhere down the hall. Riza felt the hairs on her body stand up as Havoc’s strong cigarette stench hit her nose in full, and she covered her face instinctively. She had been praised by her peers for having an acute sense of smell in her Human Form, something that wasn’t incredibly common among Weres. During her sensitive bouts - such as when she was close to an involuntary Change - that attribute was anything but an advantage.

Despite her best efforts, Riza’s discomfort was too overwhelming, and she couldn’t help but rub her nose, puffing and sniffling. When she looked up, Havoc was frowning at her.

“Do you have a problem with my scent, ma’am?” He grunted, offended. Riza knew she had been outstandingly rude towards him, but his tone and her current state steered her common sense away.

“I actually do, Second Lieutenant,” Riza snarled. “It’s common courtesy to be aware of your co-workers’ Sparks and how you fit in them. Especially when your co-workers always Change once a month, like myself.”

“Sorry that I didn’t take notes of everyone’s cycled involuntary Changes _and_ involuntary Change Sparks and kept it in the forefront of my mind instead of everything else, ma’am, but I’ll be doing that from now on,” Havoc growled back, and Riza realized he wasn’t going to back down. She noticed Falman, Breda and Fuery nervously looking from one to the other, and she knew what they were apprehensive about.

They could be rare in workplaces, but an escalation of a Were fight wasn’t something anyone was eager to witness in any situation. Unfortunately, Riza could feel her extremities tingling already; she didn’t _want_ to stop.

“In a small team like ours, it won’t be a great effort.”

“Neither is getting up and going outside to rub your face -”

“Havoc. Hawkeye.” The Colonel’s deep voice thundered from his private office. “Come here, now.”

The relieved sigh of the rest of the team could be heard through the door Riza and Havoc closed behind them. They saluted and waited for his attention, but Colonel Mustang was focused on scribbling something on the papers in front of him. 

“It won’t be good for our reputation if we start a dog fight in the Eastern Headquarters for the first time since 1908. At ease,” he stated, not looking up, and then chuckled. “Well, as much as your nerves allow.”

Riza felt her hands and ears tingle again. She clasped her hands tighter behind her back. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m…” She inhaled Havoc’s unbearable scent again, “...distracted today.”

“Yea, sorry, Colonel,” Havoc sighed, irritation in every note of his voice. Riza pulled her wrist against her back to quell the growing desire to fly her fist into his nose.

Mustang rested the pen down and closed the binder, resting against the back of his chair. “The sentiment is touching, but unconvincing.” He placed his hands on the desk and got up, sighing. “I think you need to do more than simply apologizing to me.” 

Riza frowned ever so slightly, and Havoc cocked his head. Mustang straightened up and looked at them, with a serious demeanor. “Two Were members close to a Sparked Change at the same time can seriously damage a squad’s synergy. I don’t want you two sniping at each other on any occasion, and I don’t want trust to be stained because of some badly chosen words, or worse, during an emotional state.”

He opened a drawer and pulled two large, plain beige handkerchiefs from inside, placing each on a hand and offering them to his subordinates. “I hope you have no plans for tonight,” the Colonel smirked. “Because you’re going to wear this against your skin for the rest of the day, and meet me at the Dolores Park at 9.”

“Sir,” Riza froze midway on placing her handkerchief in her pocket. “ _You definitely_ are aware my cycle Sparks tonight. I’m going to change into my Wolf, involuntarily.”

Mustang’s smirk grew wider. “I’m aware, Lieutenant. Meet me there, at the statue, both of you. Dismissed."

* * *

Riza didn't have time to go home before heading to the park. She grabbed her satchel bag containing a change of clothes and supplies from her locker, ran to the cafeteria to grab a couple of chocolate napolitanas, and slipped from the Headquarters at 7:45. Her head was swimming in a fog, with sudden painful jabs behind her eyes every now and again. She was afraid she would trip on her numb, tingling feet while getting in the taxi.

"Sparked, ma'am?" The driver, a red-faced bearded grandfather, looked at Riza through the mirror with sympathy.

"Yes," Riza kept a hand pressed against her face to distract herself from the whirlpool of smells from inside the car. "Cycled."

The driver chuckled. "My wife used to have them cycled, too. Twice a month she would be miserable: on her period, and on her Spark. But the Change cycles got more spaced with time, until they stopped at once."

Riza only managed a grunt in response. The driver chuckled again. "I get it. I take a lot of people to and from places to Change. I can pick you up in the morning at the park, if you'd like, ma'am."

"Sounds good," Riza breathed through gritted teeth. She was so distracted by the symptoms of her incoming Change that she hadn't seriously considered how she was going to get back home from the park. She had settled for a vague idea of galloping home through the empty streets in her Wolf before she got too exhausted and reverted to her Human, or asking the Colonel for a ride once it was all done - whatever was he was planning for the night.

The Colonel had offered to see her through her monthly Spark (and occasional random ones) before, when it was necessary, and had her company a few times when he got Sparked himself. In the few occasions they coincided, Riza had had the best nightly sprints of her life, freely running alongside her Pair. But he had never invited Havoc to take part in an impromptu race, let alone when she was in that delicate position.

The taxi stopped by the equestrian statue by the entrance of Dolores Park at 8:15, and Riza nearly tumbled outside as she fumbled to pull her wallet from her purse placed inside the satchel bag at the same time. When she handed the driver the payment, he gave her a card in exchange.

"Name's Karl. Call me when you're done, if you'd like to, alright?" He smiled compassionately. Riza bowed in response, thinking that it was nice to have that option at least, and he drove off.

Riza settled her bag on a bench in front of the statue, and began pacing. She scanned the area: it was in the high-end suburbs, and the park was new and not a popular Change spot yet. A few couples and groups of teenagers walked by in the cool evening. Riza lamented not having changed to her civilian clothes in the HQ; she certainly looked suspicious in her restlessness while wearing the blues.

She stretched her tingling arms and fingers constantly, and her articulations popped every time - a sign she was very close to begin Changing. Riza growled angrily, and rubbed the handkerchief settled between her breasts against her skin. _Damn Colonel Mustang and his--_

Riza's head snapped towards the right side of the road, and she went very quiet. The Colonel's car turned the corner 20 seconds later, parking at an allowed spot as close as possible to the statue. The engine hadn't yet stopped when Riza flung the back door open, tossing her overstuffed bag inside.

"Hold on, I'll give you privacy." The Colonel laughed, climbing down to the sidewalk while Riza yanked her jacket off on the backseat. Her roar was muffled when he shut the door.

A full Change would normally take Riza 10 minutes or more, during which she would quell the discomfort by laying on the cold tile and doing breathing exercises. But after only a little over five minutes Riza was pawing at the car handle, and Mustang opened it for her to jump on the street.

Instead of a woman, what came out was a giant yellow, white and brown wolf with a ruffled mane.

Riza whined and sniffed the air, brisling impatiently around the car before trotting to Mustang's side. She could feel the hairs on her tail stand up when his voice sounded somewhere above her, deeper than usual. "Gorgeous girl." He stroked the fur behind her ear with the knots of his fingers, very lightly. "Go. Run."

Riza bolted.

Greyed shapes blurred past her when she entered the park; edges sharper, distances blurred, smells guiding her path ahead, ahead, _ahead_. Newly trimmed grass formed a stream under her paws. Her muscles moved like a machine, finding a rhythm to her sprint. Her four-legged body jumped over rocks, dodged benches, zigzagged between trees, and Riza's consciousness rode in the back of her mind, savoring the maddening freedom of her Wolf.

Eventually, smells began catching her attention. Riza began following the traces left by others - plants, animals, humans, Weres - and seeing the bustling activity of Dolores Park when her Human only saw a new empty suburban spot. She took her time rubbing her body against some particularly pleasant trees and benches, and widening a small abandoned burrow beneath a tree trunk. Satisfied with her marking in the new area, Riza climbed the trunk and let out an identification howl.

Roy Mustang was still leaning against his car when she returned, panting. A shape sat beside him, and her nose wrinkled when she identified Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc in his Wolf - an enormous wolfish Shepherd dog - with his tongue hanging out. Riza politely stood in front of him, but at a distance. Havoc was just as bothered, folding an ear and turning his brown and black head to Mustang with a whine.

It was then that Riza noticed her Colonel was in the process of a change, and he was actually sitting on the driver's seat with his legs out, his jacket off and his shirt open. "Wait, you two," he barked with difficulty through his growing muzzle. "Havoc. Here."

Havoc got up to stand in front of Mustang, who quickly wrapped something around the Second Lieutenant's neck. Havoc tried to get free, but stood still when Mustang growled with intent. "Side," the Colonel ordered, and Havoc went to the right, puffing.

Riza walked carefully towards Mustang when he called her. He was completely covered in his undercoat fur, his mane already starting to billow. He took his shirt off before reaching to a handkerchief and wrapping it around Riza's neck - and she could immediately tell it was the one Havoc carried with him all day. She jerked her head back, but Mustang's clawed hands held her in place.

"Quiet," he snarled, leaning forwards on cue. "It's okay." She returned the gesture, touching the side of his muzzle with her nose, and stood still as he fumbled with the knot. Mustang signed the statue with a nod when he was done, and Riza walked towards it while coughing and spitting, the debilitating stench invading her oversensitive nostrils.

It didn't take long for Mustang to hop out of the car and kick the door shut. He was fully in his Wolf: black, blue-grey and white, with a deliberate prowl Riza could recognize anywhere. Her tail began thumping on the sidewalk as he approached the statue.

Mustang touched her nose with his, and Riza wished Havoc wasn’t there as she reluctantly felt her Wolf take over completely. She covered her Pair's muzzle in excited kisses and whined happily when he returned them, nuzzling the side of her face with a low purr. It was hard to explain how powerful Pairing could be, especially in Wolf Form. Any non-Were watching them at that moment would believe their relationship was romantic. That wasn't the case - it was just how Pairs behaved when human reservations were an afterthought. 

Havoc's approaching steps made Riza snap back, and the smugness in his eyes was clear no matter the form he took. She was again conscious of the stink worming beneath her fur, and she pulled a bit of Mustang's mane to sign her impatience. He puffed in amusement, and trotted through the park gates with a happy jingle from his keys around his neck.

The Colonel stopped a few meters inside the park, his tail and ears pointing up and a relaxed smile on his features. Havoc and Riza kept a distance from each other, and an exchanged gaze was enough to confirm they were both impatient with their leader.

Mustang walked in front of them, woofing and scratching the dirt to sign his command. Havoc and Riza had been under him for long enough to communicate without the mess of barks and mimicking of unacquainted Weres.

Riza's ears folded slightly with her deepening frown. Mustang's tail wagged slowly, and he gruffed and jumped close to Havoc, who was hunched in displeasure.

 _Tag?_ Havoc growled terribly, dangerously low.

Mustang fanned his tail wider, and tugged on Havoc's dark mane. _Run!_

Havoc scoffed, but a stronger tug by Mustang had him start running, albeit at a dispirited pace. Mustang watched him go, and once satisfied, he turned to Riza and approached to nibble her ear. She dodged him, showing her teeth, and he immediately froze. 

Riza sat down. She went through a stressful situation during her workday, had been asked to spend her Spark away from home, and her scent was corrupted. Commanding Officer or not, Mustang was her Pair, and he _wouldn't_ play her. He pulled back, a little surprised, and looked into her eyes for a few seconds before trying to approach again, from a lower angle.

He carefully pressed his nose against hers, adding a kiss when she didn't snap at him. Riza let him kiss her muzzle and her eyes, allowing the Wolf to take control and relax under her Pair’s touch. But at that point not even that could mask the scent from Havoc's handkerchief taking over her own, and Riza growled in frustration, receiving a pleading whine and a nuzzle in response before Mustang leapt forward.

 _Run_. The keys’ jingle was muffled by his thick fur. He wagged his tail, friendly and relaxed like he would only be with her or Hughes. _Let’s hunt._

Riza flattened her ears and sighed deeply before getting up, but the Colonel was nothing but delighted when she walked beside him. He whimpered and nibbled her face until Riza roared a warning at him, and they sprung forward together.

The grass was velvety and easy to run on, and they both slipped into their Wolf like it was their only reality. Being with Mustang made that world tinted with scents more familiar, but it was only right. Their paws drummed in a private melody as they darted in the dark, their eyes shining like stars, ahead, ahead, _ahead_. When he jumped she maneuvered, when she dashed he followed, _ahead_. Regardless of anyone else, they formed a pack of two and their Wolf was one. A Pair.

They jumped on a decoratively placed boulder and let out their hunting howl. Havoc would know where they were then, and feel compelled to hide. Riza sniffed the air, and grunted in irritation; being drenched in Havoc’s scent, she wasn’t able to trace him anymore. Mustang kept his ears upright, looking ahead, and bumped Riza’s shoulder for her to follow his gaze.

There were fresh claw tracks down on the left, close to a children’s playground. Riza straightened up, and she followed when Mustang climbed the boulder down, keeping a distance and remaining against the wind. Mustang sniffed the tracks, and his tail twitched slightly before he darted to the left - but Riza noticed his sign, and they moved at the same time.

They found a narrow path lined with jasmine trees and they stalked down the cobblestone until they reached a strangely alluring concrete fountain. Riza stood close to the water, hoping the vapor would clear her mixed scent a little for the Colonel to track Havoc more easily, but she stuck her nose high and tried to find anything of note.

A twinge of _something_ made a shiver travel along her spine.

 _It’s me._ Riza yelped. Mustang turned his head towards her, eyes wide, and scrambled to stand beside her, nose in the air. After a few moments, he looked into her eyes and nuzzled her jaw.

 _It’s you?_ He purred, and Riza gave him a quick snap on the muzzle that made him tumble backwards, barking protests. Frustrated, she jumped into the fountain, and waded the uneven floor until the water lapped just above her wrists. Then she stuck her nose up again, focusing on her surroundings first - the strange alluring water, herself, the Colonel - before carefully sniffing around for what caught her attention.

Again, Riza sensed it, clearer than before. It was _her_ scent - faint, diluted, mixed, but _hers,_ and not coming from her body or her past tracks. It smelled charred, mustier, with a twinge of peppermint. It smelled like _Havoc._

She let out a curt howl, and Mustang’s fur swelled at once, his tail up in the air like a flag. He kept immobile as she got down the fountain, sniffing, and began stepping towards the familiar smell. She tripped on a few cobblestones, and gnawed away branches that hit her face as she stalked ahead faster and faster on the blurred path, until she no longer felt it ahead. Instead, she turned to notice a faint track among the bushes.

Riza turned to Mustang, still tense like a string, and swished her own upright tail. He jolted towards her immediately, and both darted down the trail in a synchronized gallop.

The entire night whipped their lowered heads as they picked up speed, but the Pairs’ growling did nothing but increase until it was a physical thing ripping through the foliage, stomping on the dirt, a single black and yellow bolt opening their way into an open, dazzlingly illuminated field. Riza tumbled forwards, hurt by the intense light, and she heard Mustang snarl in pain beside her. After a few moments she picked up her stride again, obfuscated but with her nose sticking high - the scent so sure, so strong, _He’s here_ , _he’s here -_ and heard a jingle approaching as Mustang caught up with her a few moments later, also following the scent.

They blindly trotted forwards in the direction of a stratified, white structure, and snuck beneath it. _Bleachers,_ Riza recalled in the back of her mind, but forgot a second later when her attention returned to the musky, bitter, wet smell under the structure. The smoky scent rifed with her own became stronger on the wooden pillars. _He’s sloppy, he didn’t fit,_ Riza figured as she carefully squeezed between crates. The Colonel zigzagged around the structure, sniffing marks on the dirt with his tail slowly swaying as he pieced the clues together.

Riza’s mane puffed up when the Colonel’s hoarse howl echoed behind her, and she jumped back to his side as he theatrically reared up to start a new dash.

They ran side by side again down the field sides, Mustang slightly ahead, Riza following his movements like water. There were covered benches at the rear end of the field, and as they accelerated towards it a large shape moved from beneath them.

Riza's pupils widened, her instinct enticed by Havoc's panicked escape. She darted to his left as Mustang went to his right, both trying to close in on Havoc on an angle wide enough to maneuver if he tried to dodge them. Sure enough, Havoc changed directions twice, hopping in zigzag and twirling in dazzling speed. He was heavier than either of the Pairs, but his traction was powerful, and he nearly escaped when he suddenly sprung forward like a hare and left the hunters behind for precious seconds.

Riza felt her breath begin faltering. Havoc was a brown and black streak crossing the sports field, and the lights were still relentless on Riza's eyes. Her legs still moved as if they were independent from her mind, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with Havoc's seemingly inexhaustible energy for much longer.

She looked at Mustang, who was drawing an arc towards Havoc again. He met her stare, and pointed to Havoc's bushy tail with his nose.

Riza veered sharply to her right and leapt forward, snapping Havoc's tail right in the middle and dragging him sideway with her momentum. The Second Lieutenant let out a strident cry, but it was quickly silenced by Mustang jumping on his back and biting the size of his neck from the opposite side. Havoc whimpered when he hit the ground, and Mustang flew over him, opening his jaws so he wouldn't break his neck in the fall.

Before Havoc could scramble back up, Riza turned on her hind claws and jumped on his back, daftly sinking her teeth on his throat - strongly enough to immobilize, but not to harm. Havoc trashed his hind paws around, kicking Riza's, but the Colonel laid his body weight on his torso and bit one of his tender inner thighs, forcing it down.

The three of them remained still for a few seconds, breathing heavily, with Havoc weak attempts to flail around falling flat. Riza noticed she had remembered how to count: _Ten, eleven, twelve..._

And then Havoc began laughing.

His limbs were limp with defeat, and his tail thumped on the grass faster and faster. Riza and Mustang let go of him, and Havoc immediately turned on his back, exposing his underside and throat and laughing so hard it became a hoarse roar that shook his huge body. It took Riza a few seconds to notice her tail was swishing with growing speed, too, and she was chuckling under her breath, her tongue slipping to hang over her chin. Mustang sat down like a puppy, with his hind paws turned inwards, and began laughing along, hunched down in exhaustion and mirth. In no time they were all uncontrollably cackling, stretching and rolling together on the grass, with tails wagging and tongues hanging out. 

Riza laid on her side, taking the smell of dirt and greenery between barks, and Havoc approached her, laying with his belly on the ground. He leaned his head forward and Riza met him halfway, touching her nose on his and promptly sitting up so they could make peace in the Wolf way. Havoc crouched in front of her, keeping his fanning tail parallel to the ground, and nuzzled her jaw from below, nibbling gently. Riza shivered with joy, and returned the affection licking his forehead and tickling his ears with her nose. He yelped, delighted, and they both jumped to their feet and played under the Colonel’s satisfied gaze.

Mustang joined the play a little later, and the pack rolled around and groomed each other for what could’ve been hours - Riza was floundering from the surface to the depths of her Wolf, and time was too abstract to understand in that state. When Mustang ordered them to get up again, though, Riza felt a lot more rested - perhaps they had even napped, she couldn’t tell. Mustang guided them to the alluring fountain, and after they all drank generously and played enough in the water he called Havoc over to his side.

 _Run!_ Mustang then ordered Riza, and she playfully scoffed at him before scampering away through the bushes. Racing alone as prey was less fun than hunting with her Pair, but once the hunting howl rang in her ears Riza was compelled to escape for as long as she could. Instead of simply running as far as possible like Havoc, she tried to leave as many false leads as possible to trick them: she waded down a little stream, scratched trees on a path only to backtrack, and ran in circles on a sandbox before looking for a hideout.

It was much easier for Pairs to track each other, though, so Mustang didn’t take as long as she had hoped to find her in the jasmine boulevard (despite the fact Havoc indeed walked in circles in the sandbox following her track for a long time). Riza managed to avoid capture diving in the thick greenery near the Southern area of the park, but Havoc trudged forward like a tank and finally knocked her down before Mustang flew to her throat. But except for a few wiggles to preserve some dignity, Riza didn’t put up resistance before turning belly up for her pack and receiving nuzzles and nibbles.

She gratefully accepted and returned them, but she didn’t revel on the affection for long. It didn’t seem as welcome anymore, somehow, and she kicked both males on the nose, snarling, when they tried to tickle her ears in tandem. Mustang grumbled indignantly, but when Riza shook her mane after jumping to her feet he stopped at once and sniffed carefully.

 _Back_. He signaled to Havoc, whose ears drooped at once. He whined, prancing around Mustang, and nuzzling his superior’s mouth with his underside glued to the dirt, but the Colonel only growled, irreducibly. Riza blinked, slightly disoriented, and began trotting back to the car only when Mustang went around her and nudged her forward with his head.

Riza could already see the park gates when she finally realized she was Changing back. She looked at Havoc, who also looked dazed, and figured his Spark was also losing force and he was reverting to his Human. Mustang looked tired and the glint in his eyes wasn't from his Wolf any longer, but because he had Changed by choice and not through a Spark, he was considerably more composed than the other two.

It was only once they arrived at the car that Riza realized how drained she was. She hadn’t prepared for an impromptu tag night, and hadn’t eaten properly or warned anyone she would be out in her Wolf, like it was safest to do. Havoc didn’t look much better. In fact, he looked much worse, collapsing on the sidewalk by the driver’s door with his tongue hanging out his slightly smaller muzzle. Despite her exhaustion, Riza sat primly beside her Colonel in front of the car, their fur slowly thinning, falling, and disintegrating.

It was still dark, but not as grey and sharp. When Riza looked up to the horizon it entered focus quickly, and she began noticing the lighter hues of blue after staring for around a minute. The oncoming dawn ruffled her Wolf’s attention for the last time that night, and Riza slipped into it in the unstirred serenity, threw her head back, and howled.

Mustang turned to her, eyes wide. After a few seconds, he followed suit, adding his low notes to her tune. Soon Havoc joined from behind them, in a rash howl that eventually found harmony through the Second Lieutenant’s tiredness. Their song creaked open the stillness of daybreak, waking birds chirping birds from their nests and insects from their slumber. When Riza realized she was reaching mid-Change and opened her eyes, the sky was tinted with an immaculate strip of lilac. Her - now thin, much shorter - tail swished slightly as the last notes of the howl died out.

The Colonel turned his face to hers, and they touched noses for a final time before getting up. He pulled the chain with his keys up his head, kicked Havoc with the side of his padded foot, and clumsily unlocked the car. Riza wiggled her way onto the backseat trying not to look to the still laying down, half-wolf, and completely naked Havoc.

She closed the car door, pulled some of the varied pieces of clothing lying around onto her body, and allowed herself to lay on the leather seats in silence as the Change took her back to her Human. Riza heard Havoc and Mustang scramble and shout outside, soon followed by a knock on the glass. Riza opened her eyes and saw Mustang's face upside down, pointing at his and Havoc's clothes covering her body.

She looked down, sighed, and raised a still clawed hand to signal him to wait. When he turned away from the window Riza fished her bag from the car floor and put on her bra and underwear before opening the window to hand the men their clothes. Mustang took them, but then shot a look at Riza and smiled. Before she could protest, he pointed at her neck.

A dirty beige handkerchief was loosely tied around it, hanging down her upper chest. When Mustang turned around again she undid its knot and put on her civilian clothes - all while still stretching, shedding, and rubbing her still cold nose. She found her hair clip between the front seats, and haphazardly put her hair up in a tousled updo while getting out of the car from the street side. She found Havoc and Colonel Mustang dressed up and bickering, the wolfish ears still doing their job in expressing contempt.

"You could have warned us you were going to make us run all night long, Colonel. I had already run all the way here." Havoc slurred, stretching his back against the side of the car and seeming barely conscious on the curb.

"No one told you to waste energy that way." Mustang shoved him to the side to open the driver's door, leaning inside towards the passenger's side.

"My Spark hit on the bus stop, what else could I do? I was lucky I was able to shove my uniform in my rucksack and carry it here." Havoc hit his head against the metal, miserably. "I wish I had a cigarette."

Riza looked down at him, pointing at his chest. "That's why my scent doesn't suit you, Second Lieutenant."

Havoc raised his waning pointy ears when he looked to Riza, then to the handkerchief still tied around his neck, and gave her a wide grin. "I think it suited me just fine, First Lieutenant."

Riza smirked, and Havoc obediently undid the knot and handed the cloth to her. "I'm sorry I was rude to you earlier," she muttered, handing him the handkerchief that had been on her neck.

"It's alright. I'm sorry I snapped back, too," Havoc replied, rubbing his temple. "It's been a rough past week."

Mustang cleared his throat. "Was it a matter of the heart, Second Lieutenant?"

Riza and Havoc lifted their gaze. Mustang had a medium sized basket in his arms, and while his expression was neutral and his ears upright, Riza identified a familiar whiff when he stepped ahead. She had to conceal her smile when she sat down on the sidewalk beside Havoc; Pairs were protective, regardless of their relationship status.

"Ooh, you got us breakfast, Colonel?" Havoc chirped, seemingly unaware of the question.

"I wouldn't let you two be dehydrated and starving after a Change, especially not a Sparked one." Mustang sat down by Havoc's left and pulled a small bottle of apple juice from the basket, shaking it and handing it to Riza, then repeating the process with two more for Havoc and himself. "And with two team members Sparking at the same time, you needed some team bonding exercises."

They were all quiet for a little while as they drank the juice, desperate for some energy, until Havoc’s slightly garbled speech broke the silence. "I hate to admit it, but you were right. I needed that. What about you, Hawkeye?"

Riza took a long gulp of her juice and considered her words before replying. "It had been a while since I last dove into my Wolf like that. I usually take a diluted wolfsbane infusion every month to make it shorter and less intense. And if it feels too _much,_ I race a few laps around the nearby plaza."

Havoc grimaced. "Cycled changes must be awful. I'm sorry."

"I've been through worse." Riza shrugged. "What made you Change this time? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you Spark."

Mustang raised his eyebrows as he reached inside the basket again, and Havoc disheveled his hair even more with his hands, whining an all too human whine. "She's no one important, okay?"

Riza glanced towards Mustang for a second, and neither said anything. The three gobbled up the sandwiches contained in the basket, now already fully in their Human, as the sky grew brighter with its morning colors. Soon the first joggers and domestic workers began passing by, watching the trio with curiosity. A teenage paperboy biked beside them and snickered. "Good run last night, pack?"

Havoc yelled something in response that Riza couldn't register. A pleasant soreness was settling in her muscles, and her head finally began slipping into the lull of an afterglow. Sparking was always exhausting, but she had to admit the Colonel's idea was intelligent now she gave it some thought.

"Second Lieutenant, the taxi driver that brought me here seems to have experience with Weres," she breathed, almost dreamily, and slowly opened her bag to search for the card. "He said I could call him in the morning. Perhaps you could have him take you home."

Havoc stared at her for a few seconds until he seemed to process the words, and took the card from her hand. He raised an eyebrow at her after reading it.

"The Colonel and I live close by, but your apartment is in the other direction," Riza reminded him.

Mustang shifted, picking up the waste of the snacks and tossing it back in the basket. "I can give you a ride somewhere closer, Havoc. We'll wait for the driver to arrive, too."

Havoc groaned, squinting at the card. "No, it's fine. There's a phone booth down the corner. You can go, it's Saturday."

"We'll wait," the Colonel repeated, and Havoc shrugged.

He was so exhausted Riza decided to make the call herself. Karl was picking the last rides on his stop that night, and gladly accepted to take Havoc home. Riza and Mustang helped the limp Second Lieutenant inside Karl's battered vehicle when it arrived some fifteen minutes later, and Havoc sleepily promised to give them a call as soon as he arrived home.

Riza stood beside her Colonel as they watched the car turn the corner.

"He won't call," Mustang grunted. "I hope this Karl isn't a swindler, Lieutenant."

"I hope so too, sir, but he'll have to… I'll have to… " Riza inhaled deeply, and shook her head clear. "He'll have to deal with me if that's the case."

The Colonel's eyes squinted in amusement. "Long time no exercise, I see."

Riza huffed, making the Colonel chuckle and place a hand in the middle of her back, gently guiding her towards the passenger door of his car. "Havoc doesn't live that far from me, though. What was the matter?"

Riza didn't answer until she had settled in the seat, relishing in the comfort for a little too long, and Mustang had started maneuvering the car. "Getting Havoc and I so deeply acquainted with each other's scent was smart, sir," she sighed. "The game had us drenching the handkerchiefs with our own and associating the resultant smell to a pack bond. Now we'll feel instinctively less antagonistic towards one another, even on bad days."

Mustang grinned, keeping the eyes on the road. Riza continued, "We'll likely be more sensitive to our Spark signs, too, from now on. Just enough so he won't ever miss it when my cycle is approaching. He'll also be less likely to reinforce a Spark on me."

"Very observant," conceded the Colonel. "Why, then, did you send him away?"

Riza took a second to enjoy the bliss of that moment: the previous night of running in her Wolf, with her pack, and currently enjoying the fresh spring breeze caressing her face through the window. Roy Mustang was driving her home - because of course he would, as her boss and her Pair and her _friend_ and-- 

"I got used to his scent," Riza interrupted her own train of thought at once. "It doesn't mean I think it's any _good_ or that I can stand it _any longer_ today."

She smiled widely at Mustang's laughter - relaxed and hoarse like his howl - and settled against the back of her seat, allowing the sound to carry her into a light, short, contented nap.

**Author's Note:**

> My biggest purpose in life is to cause furry awakenings.


End file.
